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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to click
  5. capital — a city
  6. saw — the tool
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — an aim
  9. fall — to drop
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. capital — money
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. object — to protest
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fall — the season
  20. wake — a trail
  21. fall — to drop
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. capital — a big letter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com